GRANTS

Thank you for your interest in applying for a Jeanine Nicarico Memorial Literacy Fund Grant.

We are no longer accepting grant applications for this school year. Please check back again in the fall. The 2018-2019 winners for the Jeanine Nicarico Memorial Literacy Fund Grants will be notified by email or phone using the contact information provided on the grant application. Announcement of the winners will take place at the G.L.O.W. 5K Run for Reading fundraising event on May 18, 2019.

The Jeanine Nicarico Memorial Fund for Literacy awards grants to individual educators or entire schools to promote a deeper understanding of literacy and provide enriched literacy opportunities for the learners within the Naperville community.

Grants will be evaluated using the following guidelines:

How clearly defined are the beliefs about literacy?

How clearly detailed is the grant description and purpose?

How closely does the grant support the mission statement and goals of the Jeanine

Nicarico Memorial Fund for Literacy?

How clearly does the assessment plan reflect an opportunity for the applicants to deepen their understanding of literacy and provide enriched literacy opportunities for the learners within the Naperville community?

WHO THE FUND BENEFITS

The Jeanine Nicarico Memorial Fund for Literacy supports grants to individual educators, or entire schools, in an effort to promote a deeper understanding and teaching of literacy, to enrich instructional programs, to provide opportunities to link literacy between the home and the school, and to lay foundations that will develop life-long readers. The Fund was established in 1996 by friends and family of the Nicaricos, faculty members at River Woods Elementary School and other staff members of Naperville Community Unit School District 203.

Accomplishments of the Fund

Since the spring of 1996, the Jeanine Nicarico Memorial Fund for Literacy has awarded over 200 grants totaling more than $200,000 to both private and public schools in Naperville School Districts 203 and 204. The grants have benefited all ages, from newborns to senior citizens.

Mission Statement

It shall be the mission of the Jeanine Nicarico Memorial Fund for Literacy to honor the memory of Jeanine by acquiring and distributing resources that promote a deeper understanding of literacy and provide enriched literacy opportunities for the learners within the Naperville community.

Fund Goals

Promote the development of literacy for learners of all ages

Provide resources for literacy programs and staff development opportunities for educators

Encourage and support educators to:

Clarify their personal belief system about literacy and learning that is reflected in their practice

Develop a deeper understanding of reading and writing processes

Acquire the understanding to create a climate that lays a foundation to develop life-long readers, writers, and learners

ABOUT JEANINE

Jeanine Nicarico was a bright-eyed little girl with an endearing, dimpled smile and a sensitive, caring heart. She had grown to love school and reading almost as much as horses, puppies, gardening, baking, and make-believe games.